7th Grade

6th Grade Social Studies Course Description

Course Description:

In sixth grade social studies, students will develop critical thinking, reading, and writing skills as they explore ancient civilizations, Middle Ages, the five major world religions, current events/ global issues. 

Essential Learning Goals:

1. Students will understand and apply various tools of social studies used by historians in order to explore and analyze the past. 

2. Students will use the aspects of civilizations to investigate multiple River Valley Civilizations in order to analyze, identify patterns, and make connections.

3. Students will compare and connect the legacies of Ancient Greece and Rome to the United States in order to show how Greek and Roman culture influence modern society. 

4. Students will investigate life in the Middle Ages in order to explain the causes and effects of major events and their impact on various perspectives.

5. Students will demonstrate understanding of current events and global issues and the impact they have on various people and environments.

Major Assessment Evidence

• Tools of Social Studies/Thinking like a Historian  (Semester 1)

  • Project: Students will use the tools of social studies to engage in a mini-inquiry about life in the Stone Ages to visually create and present a Neolithic Village . (ELG 1)

  • Assessment: Students will define and apply the tools of social studies to an unknown archaeological case study. (ELG 1)

• River Valley Civilizations (Semester 1 and 2)

  • Project: Students will apply the traits of culture to a modern day country. (ELG 2)

  • Project: Students will create a brochure or book based on the aspects of culture in order to show how the River Valley Civilizations connect to each other. (ELG 2)

  • Assessment: Students use the aspects of culture to analyze the River Valley Civilizations (Mesopotamia, Egypt, India, China) (ELG 2)

  • Assessment: Students apply map skills to show how geography influences the way people live. (ELG 2)

• Greece and Rome (Semester 2)

  • Project:  Students will create an interactive map to show where ancient legacies exist in our modern world. (ELG 3)

  • Assessment: Students will analyze six legacies and explain where these concepts exist in modern western culture. (United States) (ELG 3)

• Middle Ages (Semester 2)

  • Project: Students will use historical perspective based on roles in society to interpret events in the middle ages. (ELG 4)

  • Assessment: Students will Identify the main roles in feudal society. (Kings/ Queens, Lords/ Ladies, Knights/ Vassals, Serfs/ Peasants) (ELG 4)

  • Assessment: Students will examine the causes and effects of Feudalism, Crusades, Magna Carta, and Black Death.(ELG 4)

• Current Events/ Global Issues (Semesters 1 & 2) 

  • Students will view current event topics in order to determine main ideas and connections. Students will analyze maps, graphs, charts, timelines, or political cartoons.(ELG 5)

  • Students will read current event articles and respond through evidence based writing.(ELG 5)

  • Students will read about issues with two sides in order to formulate evidence based opinions in which they will write about and be able to debate orally.(ELG 5)

Key Course Learning Experiences:

Inquiry and research cycle

Analyzing sources (Primary vs. Secondary)

Map skills

Exploration via center activities

Vocabulary acquisition

Disciplinary literacy reading and writing 

Evidence based writing and discussion

Analyzing/ applying text structures

Categorizing content information

Observing and inferring

Distinguishing fact/ opinion

Recognizing bias and point of view

Enrichment activities to extend/ apply unit content knowledge